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Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Ari Lennox, Jodeci, Sean Paul & More to Perform at 2023 Jazz in the Gardens
The 16th annual Jazz in the Gardens Festival will continue its “sweeter level” celebration of Black music and culture this spring in Miami Gardens, Fla. Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Jodeci, Charlie Wilson, Keyshia Cole, Ari Lennox, El DeBarge, Sean Paul, Mike Phillips and the Adam Blackstone Experience lead the stacked lineup of R&B, neo-soul, reggae and gospel artists, which also includes a special soulful Sunday performance by Chandler Moore, Kierra “Kiki” Sheard and Pastor Mike Jr.
The two-day festival will return to the Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday, March 11, and Sunday, March 12.
“Over the years, Jazz in the Gardens has evolved on many levels. Now, in our 16th year, the festival continues to showcase some amazing talent and different genres of music for all those who attend to enjoy,” said Miami Gardens Mayor Rodney Harris in a statement. “People come from all over for this unique experience. Jazz is the means by which we celebrate grandly music, food, and culture, together.”
On top of live performances, the 2023 Jazz in the Gardens Festival will feature exotic cuisine and offer exquisite retail buys in the Merchandise Village.
Last year, Queen of Hip-Hop Soul Mary J. Blige and Miami Gardens native Rick Ross performed at the Jazz in the Gardens stage following the festival’s two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. Mayor Harris declared March 13 as “Rick Ross Day” during the festival in honor of his global success as an entertainer, entrepreneur and philanthropist.
Tickets are currently on sale at Jazz in the Gardens’ official website.
ASM Global’s Gary McAneney Moves to OVG to Lead Financial Operations
Oak View Group (OVG) has hired ASM Global’s senior vp of finance and global solutions Gary McAneney to serve as senior vp of finance and CFO at OVG’s UBS Arena at Belmont Park in New York.
Based in the Mid-Atlantic region, McAneney starts his new role effective immediately and will report to Francesca Bodie, president of business development for OVG, and Kim Stone, president of UBS Arena and executive vp of OVG East Coast.
“OVG has experienced unmatched industry growth over the last year, and Gary’s bold leadership and dynamic experience will be instrumental as we continue to steam ahead. We look forward to having him aboard,” said Bodie.
With more than 30 years of experience, McAneney will lead financial operations across all OVG-owned and operated venues within its ever-expanding business development division, plus oversee finance functions at UBS Arena.
“I’m pleased to welcome Gary to the team at UBS Arena,” Stone said. “With his diverse background in all financial disciplines, and proven ability to make valuable contributions, Gary will play a critical role at UBS Arena and be an asset across all other OVG divisions given his extensive experience in the industry.”
McAneney joined ASM Global in 2019 out of West Conshohocken, Penn., and has had a long career in the facilities business. At SMG, which merged with AEG Facilities to form ASM Global in Oct. 2019, he oversaw financial and accounting reporting for all of SMG’s operating contracts, including Mercedes Benz Superdome (New Orleans), NRG Stadium (Houston), Soldier Field (Chicago), U.S. Bank Stadium (Minneapolis) and Moscone Center (San Francisco).
“I’m excited to join the world-class team at Oak View Group, and for the opportunity to work with the most progressive and dynamic company in our industry. The quality of leadership and vision within OVG is unparalleled,” said McAneney.
Flo Rida Wins $82M Verdict in Legal Battle With Energy Drink Company
A Florida jury on Wednesday (Jan. 18) awarded Flo Rida $82 million in damages from energy drink maker Celsius in a lawsuit that claimed the company violated an endorsement deal with the rapper.
After a day of deliberations, a Broward County jury awarded the sum after finding that Celsius breached two contracts it had struck with the rapper in the mid-2010s, his lawyers confirmed to Billboard. Flo Rida’s lawsuit, filed in 2021, claimed he was owed millions in additional stock and ongoing royalties under the terms of the deals.
In an interview with Billboard, Flo Rida’s attorneys said their client was pleased with the outcome and believed that “the justice system performed well today.”
“It was a matter of respect,” said John J. Uustal of the firm Kelley Uustal PLC, who repped the rapper along with partner Cristina M. Pierson. “He was due these shares, he worked for them, and he wasn’t going to just let it go.”
An attorney for Celsius did not immediately return a request for comment on the verdict. Celsius will be able to appeal the verdict, first by asking the judge to overturn it and later by appealing the case to a state appeals court.
During a five-day trial, attorneys for the rapper (real name Tramar Dillard) argued that Celsius had met key sales thresholds that entitled Flo Rida to additional stock amounting to a one-percent stake in the business — a cut his lawyers claimed was worth at least $75 million now that Celsius had grown successful. They said his promotion had helped boost “a tiny local company that was about to go out of business.”
Celsius’ lawyers argued back that the company had broken no promises, saying the sales thresholds hadn’t been triggered and that the rapper had already been paid “far in excess” of what he was owed. They told the jury that Flo Rida was simply chasing a large cash payout to which he wasn’t entitled: “A business deal is a business deal. You don’t get a do-over just because you’re unhappy with the results.”
On Thursday, the lawyers for Flo Rida told Billboard that they believed arguments painting their client as “greedy” had backfired with jurors: “They understood all these complicated legal issues and in our view came to the right conclusion,” Uustal said. “After our client finished testifying, the was no doubt that this was not a greedy individual.”
Avex USA Partners With Ari Elkins to Form New Joint Venture Label
Music curator Ari Elkins and Avex USA have joined forces to form the new label co-venture Blue Suede Records. Seeking to sign undiscovered talent, Blue Suede will provide its signees with hands-on development and a non-traditional approach to the changing music business.
Elkins is possibly TikTok’s most popular music curator and has helped his nearly 2 million followers find new music and undiscovered artists to add to their playlists for the last few years. The 22-year-old’s presence on the short-form video app has led him to become host to Spotify Live’s Soundtrack Your Day and Simon Cowell’s newest show, Stem Drop. But through the creation Blue Suede, Elkins will now be able to not only recommend new artists, but build with them as well.
Avex USA, the American operation of leading Japanese music/entertainment company, is also new to the record label sector of music. Just over a year ago, the company launched its label SELENE, and since then, has signed artists like Sadie Jean, Austin George, Sophie Holohan, Billianne and Zach Hood, many of which have gone viral on TikTok.
Together, Elkins and Avex bring a fresh approach to the label business and a penchant for digital marketing.
“Ari has built a dedicated audience of millions through his love of discovering new music,” said Lucas Thomashow, svp of Avex USA and head of SELENE. “His passion for finding and championing new artists is infectious, and something we share at Avex USA. Ari has found new ways to connect audiences and music and to help songs cut through, we felt he was perfect to partner with and launch a disruptive new label venture.”
“I’m so excited to take my love for finding new artists and sharing them with the world to the next level with Avex and the launch of Blue Suede. What we are building is a unique opportunity for emerging artists to get best-in-class traditional label services but also truly tangible and contemporary marketing power. I’ve been following AVEX and SELENE’s work since inception and have always admired their swift mobility and unconventional approach to the music industry, which in 2023 is so crucial,” adds Elkins.
Green Day & Foo Fighters to Headline Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival
Rev your engines. The Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival is driving through the city of Milwaukee this summer, with newly announced all-star headliners Green Day and the Foo Fighters in tow.
Named for its location in Wisconsin, birth place of Harley-Davidson, the Homecoming Festival will celebrate the motorcycle brand’s 120th anniversary over the course of four days in July, starting on the 13th. Green Day is slated to play on the 14th, and the Foo Fighters are booked for July 15.
The rest of the festival’s schedule has not yet been confirmed, though Cody Jinks, Social Distortion, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, Phantogram, White Reaper and KennyHoopla will all make performances of their own over the course of the event, which concludes July 16. The festival will take place at Milwaukee’s Veterans Park, with tickets to see both headlining acts available for purchase now on Harley-Davidson’s website.
Both Green Day and the Foo Fighters posted about the event on their bands’ official social media accounts, including a sleek poster with their names worked into a graphic design of a guitar made out of motorcycle parks. The former wrote on Instagram: “Riding into Milwaukee on July 14th to celebrate @harleydavidson’s 120th bday (!!!)”
Harley-Davidson’s Homecoming announcement marks the latest in a wave of recent annual festival lineup announcements, from Coachella to Boston Calling to Bonnaroo. The Foo Fighters are booked for the latter two festivals, meanwhile Green Day is slated to headline the Arizona Innings Festival and the When We Were Young Festival this year.
See Green Day and Foo Fighters’ Harley-Davidson Homecoming announcements below.
Bank of America Customers Claim They Are Missing Money, Twitter Reacts To The Possible Jig
Source: Brandon Bell / Getty / Bank of America
One thing you don’t mess with is people’s money, and Bank of America is feeling the heat from some customers.
Wednesday, Jan.18, PIX 11 reports that some Bank of America customers are worried after noticing money was missing from their accounts and have taken to social media to voice their anger.
“Saw Bank of America was trending and turns out my account was impacted so happy Wednesday everyone,” one person tweeted.
“I am at the point of a collapse. where is my money?” another Twitter user said.
ABC 7 Chicago reports that at least one person claims their entire bank account was “wiped clean.”
The Daily Mail says some customers are complaining about funds being missing from deposits and Zelle transactions and that customers calling Bank of America are not getting any answers from the financial institution.
Some customers are saying they got a message telling them “Zelle transactions made between Saturday and Tuesday would be delayed.”
The Zelle issue, according to Twitter user @YepItsZak, is also affecting Chase and other institutions.
The company has not issued a statement on its social media accounts addressing customers’ concerns. It has responded to one customer in a tweet:
“Hello. We noticed that we’re currently engaging via DM and will continue to connect with you there. ^justin.”
Currently, the financial institution is trending for the wrong reasons, with Twitter users trashing the bank and wondering why people are still banking with them.
“Y’all still using Bank of America after that overdraft class action and their predatory lending history? Porque?” one Twitter user wondered.
Leave it to Twitter to find humor is some people’s pain. You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
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Photo: Brandon Bell / Getty
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The National Unveils ‘First Two Pages of Frankenstein’ Tracklist With Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers & Sufjan Stevens
The National revealed their upcoming album, First Two Pages of Frankenstein, on Wednesday (Jan. 18) along with its star-studded tracklist.
The project is the band’s ninth full-length studio set is scheduled to arrive on April 28 via 4AD, and will contain lead single “Tropic Morning News” as well as collaborations with Taylor Swift (“The Alcott”), Phoebe Bridgers (“This Isn’t Helping,” “Your Mind Is Not Your Friend”) and Sufjan Stevens (opener “Once Upon a Poolside”).
On the sprightly lead-off track, frontman Matt Berninger croons, “I was so distracted then/ I didn’t have it straight in my head/ I didn’t have my face on yet/ Or the role or the feel of where I was going with it all/ I was suffering more than I let on/ The tropic morning news was on/ There’s nothing stopping me now/ From saying all the painful parts out loud.”
“The idea of referring to the darkness of the news in such a light way unlocked something in me,” he said of the song in a release. “It became a song about having a hard time expressing yourself, and trying to connect with someone when the noise of the world is drowning out any potential for conversation.”
For her part, Swift was thrilled that the secret was finally out, writing, “Ahhhhhh new National album lets gooooo and Sufjan and Phoebe catch me crying on April 28…Extra big hug to folklorian king @aarondessner” on her Instagram Story along with a pre-order link to the album.
The National teased First Two Pages of Frankenstein earlier this week courtesy of a password-protected page on their official website. The unlocked page offered fans a glimpse of Berninger reading Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein on a piano bench, and included a stately letter hinting at the album’s trio of guest stars.
Check out The National’s album announcement below, and the lyric video for “Tropic Morning News” above.
Australia’s Look Out Kid Merges With Monster Artist Management
BRISBANE, Australia – Look Out Kid, the independent Australian artist management business, is joining forces with Monster Artist Management to form one of the market’s power centers, with a footprint on both sides of the Pacific.
The enlarged business operates as Look Out Kid, Billboard can exclusively reveal, and guides a 13-strong roster, uniting some of the top exports from Australia and New Zealand with a string of hot acts.
Through the new arrangement, Monster’s Jacob Snell and Alexandra “Apple” Bagios will join the company, and they’re bringing their roster of international clients, which includes Methyl Ethel and Hatchie (Australia); The Beths (New Zealand); plus U.S. acts Cloud Nothings, Sweeping Promises, and Palehound.
At Look Out Kid, they’ll join a stable that includes Courtney Barnett, Middle Kids, Sarah Blasko, U.S. artist Faye Webster and Canadian Beverly Glenn-Copeland.
By joining forces, the team has the opportunity to be in multiple markets at once. The move is “designed so that we can better support” the roster in their “artistic and career goals,” Nick O’Byrne, Look Out Kid’s owner/director and artist manager, tells Billboard.
“We’re trying to pull the smart management minds out of the nitty gritty, everyday stuff that takes so much time, that the artist doesn’t see, and give them more time talking to artists about music, strategy and achieving their goals, whether its financial, career, artistry.”
Snell, who serves as director of strategy and artist manager, and Bagios, as artist manager, are based in Los Angeles, and the Look Out Kid team continues to operate out of its Melbourne headquarters. Owner/director Katie Besgrove is shifting from day-to-day artist management to the general manager position.
Meanwhile, a new hire will oversee the roster’s live and touring activities for the first time, lifting the company’s headcount to seven.
Concerts specialist Emma Hawkes joins the team as touring and operations manager, a new role. Hawkes was recently production manager of Courtney Barnett‘s U.S.-based touring festival Here And There, which debuted in 2022 and returns this year.
“We love their roster, we share similar tastes and we care about the same things when it comes to the business of music,” Look Out Kid says of Monster in a statement. “It’s important to take notice when you find a kindred spirit in this crazy business so this feels like a natural step for us.”
The conversation to come together was a natural one. “We talked about it for about six months. Just trying to work out when it would work,” O’Byrne notes. “We finally got there towards the end of last year.”
Monster was established in Perth, Western Australia, in 2010. O’Byrne formed Look Out Kid in 2011 as a vehicle to manage Barnett. Using the know-how he’d accumulated as general manager of trade association Australian Independent Record Labels Association (AIR), and as executive programmer of the Bigsound conference and showcase event, O’Byrne’s business quietly flourished, and Barnett emerged as one of Australia’s most successful artists of her generation.
The singer-songwriter’s debut Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit peaked at No. 4 in Australia, No. 16 in the U.K. and No. 20 in the U.S., and won the Australian Music Prize, a trio of ARIAs and a nomination for best international female at the BRIT Awards. Her solo followup cracked the top 10 in the U.K, led several Billboard charts, and peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard 200. A third solo set, Things Take Time, Take Time, dropped in 2021.
Taylor Swift Rules Billboard Artist 100 Chart for Record-Extending 61st Week
Taylor Swift extends her record run at No. 1 on the Billboard Artist 100 chart (dated Jan. 21), as she tallies her 61st week as the top musical act in the United States.
Swift continues her dominance as her hit “Anti-Hero” logs an eighth week atop the Billboard Hot 100, surpassing the seven-week reign of “Blank Space” in 2014-15 to become her longest-leading No. 1 on the chart. “What on Earth,” Swift marveled on Instagram, sharing a post from Billboard about the feat. “I love you guys.”
Follow-up single “Lavender Haze” places at No. 30 on the Hot 100, with “Bejeweled” at No. 91. Both tracks are from Swift’s album Midnights, which ranks at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 81,000 equivalent album units earned, according to Luminate, after spending five weeks at No. 1. Swift places nine sets on the latest Billboard 200, the most among all acts: Midnights, Lover (No. 28), Folklore (No. 30), 1989 (No. 41), Red (Taylor’s Version) (No. 43), Evermore (No. 60), reputation (No. 64), Fearless (Taylor’s Version) (No. 136) and Speak Now (No. 143).
Rounding out the top five of the Artist 100, SZA holds at No. 2, as her album SOS spends a fifth week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200; Morgan Wallen repeats at No. 3; The Weeknd keeps at No. 4; and Drake rises 7-5.
Elsewhere on the Artist 100, BTS vaults 77-8, returning to the top 10 on the strength of its 2017 album Love Yourself: Her. Following the set’s release on vinyl, it re-enters the Billboard 200 at No. 13 (21,000 units, up 1,817%; it hit No. 7 in October 2017) and launches at No. 1 on the Vinyl Albums chart (18,000 copies sold on vinyl), where it’s the group’s first leader (and entry).
The Artist 100 measures artist activity across key metrics of music consumption, blending album and track sales, radio airplay and streaming to provide a weekly multi-dimensional ranking of artist popularity.
